SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The UCSB Women's Volleyball team suffered its second straight defeat to Washington State Saturday night in the final match of the Thunderdome Classic. After losing a three-set match to the Cougars Friday morning, the Gauchos showed resiliency in the rematch making it a much closer and more competitive affair.

Match One: WSU 3, UCSB 1

ON THE STAT SHEET

• Deni Wilson had an incredible night going 13-2-24 for a .458 percentage which she paired with seven total blocks
• Tallulah Froley notched a season high 17 kills with just one error for a .552 hitting percentage
• Macall Peed had a season-high 25 digs
• The Gauchos outblocked the Cougars 12-4 and outhit them .243-.239
• UCSB saw its biggest set win of the year in the third frame winning it 25-9
• UCSB played 12 different players in the match

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Set (25-17 WSU)

• The Gauchos led early but after tying it at 9-9 the Cougars scored eight unanswered points
• A UCSB timeout helped kill the run but WSU managed to trade off points from there
• Wilson found four kills with two blocks and one solo

Second Set (25-22 WSU)

• The Cougars jumped ahead in the second set but then the momentum changed in favor if the Gauchos
• Despite trailing by as many as eight UCSB mounted a 13-7 run to cut the lead to just two
• Froley swung a potent 5-0-10 line that helped fuel the run but the comeback fell just short

Third Set (25-9 UCSB)

• The momentum from the second set rally carried over into the third frame with the Gauchos holding serve for most of the set
• UCSB outhit WSU .538 to -.034 while also limiting the team to 7-of-24 on sideout opportunities
• Froley and Wilson paired up for nine of the Gauchos' 14 kills
• The scoring barrage saw the Gauchos go on three different 5-0 runs and was capped off with a big block by Wilson and Abrielle Bross

Fourth Set (25-21 WSU)

• The fourth set was the most competitive game of the night with both teams trading punches through the early points
• The Cougars made their final break away with a 4-0 run that saw them take a 19-14 lead
• The two teams then traded sideouts to the finish ending on a ball sent just wide by Wilson

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Following the match Wilson and Froley were named to the all-tournament team for their performances this weekend. Wilson was a force at the net collecting 11 blocks, three of which were solo. On the offensive end she got better with each match and totaled 27 kills on a .431 hitting percentage. Froley's numbers got better as the tourney continued as well with her kills, hitting percentage, and blocks increasing with each match. She finished with 38 kills, seven blocks, and a .397 hitting percentage.

UP NEXT
UCSB has now concluded its non-conference slate and will begin Big West play this coming weekend. The Gauchos will welcome UC San Diego to the Thunderdome Friday night before facing UC Irvine on Saturday.